Eric and the Mermaid
by S.B. Smiley
Summary: Eric's POV. :) His story! His adventures before Ariel! (and with her too) Hope you love it. :)
1. Chapter 1

Eric loved the sea. The steady churning of the waves, the calls of various sea birds, and the mysteries beneath the dark foaming depths filled his boyish imagination with curiosity. The wind picked up suddenly and Eric could smell the saltiness. His thin shirt billowed around his twelve year old frame like a boat sail in a storm. Something wet touched his bare calf and he tore his gaze from the tossing water to see his new puppy, Max, wagging his tail and holding a stick almost as big as he was. Eric smiled. Max was a white dog with long shaggy fur. He was a present to Eric for his twelfth birthday. Eric bent down and took the stick from Max's panting jaws.

"Come on boy!" he shouted as he tossed the stick down the beach. He laughed at the way Max's legs kicked up sand with every bound. Max dashed back to Eric with the stick gripped between his teeth, wagging his tail and whining quietly. The young boy smiled at his dog and threw the stick again. They played for several minutes, until the sun began to set. A voice from the top of the cliffs yelled, "Eric! It's time to come in now," signifying that their game of fetch was over. Eric whistled to Max who skipped across the beach to Eric's side and followed him up the narrow path on the cliff side.

Eric entered through the large double doors of his house, still dusting sand off of his short trousers.

"Your highness," the housekeeper, Carlotta, said. Eric saw her brow furrow when she observed the sand scattering over the previously clean floor. "It's high time you changed for supper, young man. Your father, the king, has ordered that you dine with him and Grimsby this evening."

Eric began to pout. "But I wanted to watch the sunset during dinner. You know there's a perfectly good view from my balcony, Lottie," he said, reverting back to his childhood name for the middle aged woman. "This is the first clear night we've had in a while and you know the great hall doesn't have any windows."

"Prince Eric, your father was very particular about you dining with him this evening. Now, please don't argue. Louis has already caused me enough stress with all of his shouting and yelling." With that, Carlotta steered Eric towards his bedroom.

After a hot bath and a lot of tucking and combing, Eric found himself sitting stiffly in his best suit of clothes across from his Father and Grimsby in the dimly lit dining hall. The collar of his red coat scratched at his neck horribly. He was contemplating his father's reaction to him using his fork as an extension of his fingers to itch below his coat, when the king spoke.

"Eric, what were you doing before dinner?"

"I was on the beach, Father, with Max," Eric replied, speaking as low as his voice would allow. He wanted to sound like a man.

"You should have been studying," the king mumbled.

"His majesty, the king, is right, Prince Eric," Grimsby said. Grimsby was a short, thin man who always wore dark clothes. His long brown hair was pulled tightly behind his head with a black ribbon and his uncommonly large nose was red, as usual. He sniffed. "You are going to be king one day."

The king stood. Eric dreamed of being as tall as his father. The king walked over to one of the paintings hanging on the wall and gazed at it absently. He lifted one of his large hands to his chin and stroked it methodically. "Eric," he said. "You need to focus more on your princely duties."

"I'm sorry, Father," Eric stuttered. He looked down at the bowl of creamy clam soup, wishing he could drown in it. His father had never cared much for what he did. After his mother, the queen, died, Eric saw his father very little. The king was always traveling the sea, exploring new places, and ruling from afar. Eric had been brought up by Carlotta and Grimsby.

The king returned to the table and sat down. "Eric," he said gently. "I don't know how to say this right." He paused and cleared his throat. "I'm dying, son."

Eric felt his heart sink like a rock dropped in the ocean. There was utter silence. Grimsby pretended to be fascinated with the chandelier and the king watched his son with a worried expression on his face. Eric tried to mask his emotions, but he suddenly felt like crying.

"The doctors aren't sure what I have, but it's killing me," the king continued. "Grimsby will help you until you come of age, but life is going to get harder for you, my boy. I need you to be strong."

Swallowing his tears, Eric nodded. He went through the rest of the meal without a word. Grimsby and his father discussed a plan for his education over the grilled salmon and boiled potatoes. Eric watched his father. He didn't look sick to Eric, and that worried him. What kind of a sickness made a person look completely healthy before taking a life?

After dinner was over, Eric shook hands with his father and trudged up the stairs to bed. Silently, he changed into his nightshirt and crawled in between the cool blue sheets on his bed. He didn't sleep.

That night was the first of many restless nights. Over the next few months, Eric watched his father get weaker. His dark hair grew dull and his skin turned a sickly shade of grey. The servants whispered and shook their heads, quieting each other whenever they saw Eric come around the corner. He longed to escape to the ocean, but he was too occupied with learning to be king. Grimsby kept him busy with geography, war history, and many statistics. Eric's mind was filled with the amount of people in his kingdom, the food produced by the farms, and the fishing market.

Only four months after Eric discovered his father's illness, the king died. And with him, Eric's childhood. At the young age of twelve, Eric became a man.


	2. Chapter 2

"Prince Eric, we need to be going," Grimsby called up the stairs.

Eric turned away from the looking glass and grabbed his small trunk from the foot of his bed. It had been six years since the king's death, six years of lessons and training. Now, at almost eighteen years old, Grimsby had decided that it was time to find Eric a wife. Eric shook his head at the thought. In all of his seventeen years, he had never thought much of girls. Plenty of young ladies threw themselves at him when Grimsby invited them to the palace for balls, but he had never found anyone he was truly interested in.

And so, he and Grimsby planned a year long journey that would take them around the surrounding nations. Eric had a feeling he would know when he found her.

He slid down the banister and dashed down the halls, his trunk balanced on his hip. He felt like a little boy again as he climbed onto the ship. The crisp air and swaying ship made him shiver with excitement. Grimsby, on the other hand, looked uneasy. He seemed out of place among the strong sailors. Max darted around him and jumped into Eric's arms, greeting him with a mix of barking and furious licking.

"Easy, boy, easy," Eric laughed. "Down." He made his way to Grimsby. "Hey, Grim. I'd love to start helping the men. Where are my quarters?"

The older gentlemen blew his nose and said, "They are just off the main deck." He pointed before making his way over to the boat's railing, his face a sickly shade of green.

Eric's chambers were on the right side of the ship. It was a rounded room with a small bed and a desk. It was located at the back of the ship and was, as Grimsby said, just off the main deck.

Within the hour, the ship was at sea, and the kingdom was a mere speck on the horizon. Eric wanted to help sail the ship but Grimsby had other plans for the young prince.

"You must be well versed in the ways of Glauerhaven royalty before we arrive."

Eric groaned. "But, Grim! The whole reason i wanted to make this voyage on a ship was so I could help the-"

"Come now, Prince Eric," Grimsby said, walking toward the door directly next to Eric's room. Eric followed glumly. This room was a library of sorts, with desks and bookshelves filled with charts and maps and books of every size. It was a classic Grimsby playground. "Sit down over there," said the older man. "And we'll begin."

And so, Eric spent the entire journey studying Glauerhaven. He learned that they had a long history of peace in their country, that the king and queen were kind people, and that they only had one daughter: the Princess of Glauerhaven. The day they were meant to arrive, Eric searched the books for a picture of the princess. He had never met her before. Grimsby told him that the princess had never attended any of their balls, which Eric found strange. When he asked Grimsby about it, the grey haired gentleman shook his head.

"Her parents are very sheltering, Eric. Not even I have ever met her."

That caused Eric to hesitate.

"Get back to your studying, Prince Eric. We'll be there in a few hours."

When they got off the ship and reached the castle, Eric tried not to be nervous. This was a woman he could potentially spend the rest of his life with.

_I hope I like her, _Eric thought.

_ But she has to be perfect._

^v^v^v^v^v^

She wasn't perfect. At least, not to Eric. There was nothing physically wrong with her. In fact, she was rather pretty. She had a well shaped face and big brown eyes. Her hair was thick and the same color as her eyes and it hung around her shoulders in a curtain of ringlets. A purple dress hung on her thin figure loosely, and her feet were the tiniest she had ever seen. Eric didn't mind how she looked, but when she started talking, he knew he could never fall in love with her.

"OH! PRINCE ERIC! YOU'RE HEEERE!" She squealed. Eric was reminded of the honking of a goose. The girl rushed down the stairs to where Eric stood with Grim and her parents, the King and Queen of Glauerhaven. A stern look from her mother was all that prevented the sixteen year old princess from flinging her arms around him.

He took a step back, looking at Grimsby for direction. The older man cleared his throat and sniffed.

"Prince Eric, may I have the pleasure of introducing Princess Feliciana of the sovereign land of Glauerhaven?"

The princess curtsied awkwardly and the prince bowed in response.

"You took far too long to get here," Princess Feliciana honked. Eric flinched inwardly at the loud sound her voice produced. How could someone as cute as she was have a voice like a seagull?

She jabbered all the way to the dining hall about nonsense like the weather and how terrible his journey must have been over such a revolting sea, and right then Eric knew he needed to look elsewhere for a wife.

^v^v^v^v^v^

After two full days in Glauerhaven, Eric told Grimsby he had made his decision. While the princess was kind and beautiful, she hated the things Eric loved the most: the sea, dogs, and music. He explained that he could never be with someone who despised the things that made him who he was.

"Are you sure, Prince Eric?" Grimsby said. "We were meant to stay here until your birthday. It's only one more week and I'm sure-"

Eric groaned. "Grim, come on. Think of it as an early birthday present. I don't want to lead this girl on. She's not for me."

And they left that very night.


	3. Chapter 3

Eric never slept better than when he was on the open ocean. The swaying of the ship made him feel drowsy even after a full night's rest, but he could hear the sailors beginning their morning duties and that was more alluring than the softness of his mattress. Eric swung his legs over the edge of his bunk, pulling on his boots. He stood and tucked his loose white shirt into his blue pants, adding his red belt as a final touch. There was a small looking glass hanging on the wall next to the door and Eric inspected his reflection absently. He smoothed his thick black hair.

"Bring her around!" came the shout from a sailor passing Eric's closed door. "Drop the anchor! Hoist the nets!"

Eric opened his cabin door and was greeted by a few of the sailors. Max bounded to his side and followed him as he climbed onto the main deck.

As the sailors worked, they began to sing. Prince Eric loved to hear the sailors sing tales of pirates and water nymphs. The song they were singing on this cloudy morning was one he hadn't heard before.

_I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue,_

_ And it's, hey to the starboard, heave-ho!_

_ Look out, lad! A mermaid be waiting for you,_

_ In mysterious fathoms below! _

Eric leaned against a banister. The wind was picking up. "Isn't this great?" He said. "The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face." Max barked in agreement. "A perfect day to be at sea!"

"Oh yes," came a voice from Eric's right. Grimsby was leaning over the side of the boat. "Delightful." Eric rolled his eyes. Grim didn't find the swaying ship as peaceful as Eric did.

"A fine strong wind and a following sea," said Norman, one of the older sailors. Eric made his way across the deck to help him pull the ropes to the pegs, securing them to the ship. "King Triton must be in a friendly type mood."

"King Triton?" I asked, perplexed. In all of my studies, I had never come across a King Triton.

"Why, Ruler of the Merpeople, lad," One-eyed Sid croaked. He was the oldest man on the boat, apart from Grimsby. "Thought every good sailor knew about him." He grabbed a fish from the nets and tossed it into the barrel behind him."

Eric smiled, but Grimsby scoffed. "Merpeople. Eric, pay no attention to this nautical nonsense."

"But it ain't nonsense. It's the truth," Sid declared. He waved a pink fish in Grimsby's face. "i'm tellin' ya! Down in the depths of the ocean they live!" The fish flicked back and forth and the sailor lost his hold on it. "Oh!" he cried. The fish slapped it's tail in Grim's face and dropped overboard into the swirling blue water.

They all stood silently on the deck for a moment in silence. "But who is he?" Eric asked.

"The great king of the deep, master of the sea, of course." Sid growled.

"Yes, you said that," Eric said. He began helping Norman and Sid store the nets. "But do you really believe in the whole concept of mermaids?"

"Seen one myself, I have." Sid boasted. "She was the most beautiful creature you ever laid eyes on."

"But a girl who is half fish?" Eric said picking up a large fish from the barrel. "That doesn't seem real."

"Prince Eric," Grimsby said, clicking the heels of his maroon shoes together. "If you are quite finished with the fairytales, we must return to your studies."

"Grim, don't be such s stiff sail," said Eric. "The sun is just coming out and the men could really use my help."

"No, Prince Eric."

Then, Eric remembered. "But it's my birthday."

"And there will be plenty of time to waste tonight." Grimsby vanished into the library.

They were sailing past their country. Their journey included seven kingdoms. Glauerhaven was the only kingdom to the north. The rest were to the south, so Grimsby had decided they would go to Glauerhaven first and then cross back to Valania, Hogerland, Prandari, Gullbern, Zelt, and Istellia.

Grimsby had enough maps and books on each country to keep Eric busy for the entire journey. Eric wondered why they had so many books on other kingdoms, but he knew asking a question like that would cause an endless lecture from his mentor. Instead he asked if he could read out on the deck.

The prince spent the rest of the day reading and gazing out over the open ocean. A sudden longing filled his heart. He wanted to find love. It had never been something he thought about, but he wanted someone. He wanted someone who would love him for him, who would sail the open ocean with him, someone beautiful. She had to be perfect, or Eric knew he would be unhappy.

"I'll find you," he said to the vast waters. "Someday."


End file.
